No. 17 - Bangladesh - Vinda-moo!

I’ll keep this one short and spicy today. I thought that a curry made with beef was a complete food faux pas – two foods that should never share a pot, just don’t belong, like, I don’t know, spag spud. I can knock it because I’ve tried it and truth be told, no, it’s not bad, (I accept bolognese on a baked potato) but come on? Spag spud? It’s just plain wrong. Oh, here we go, even worse! Spag rice. Please. I take this type of thing very seriously and that is saying something because there are very (very) few things that I won’t eat together. Icecream and chips anyone? Oh and curry, cheese, coleslaw and chips is a solid classic.

However I can sleep sound tonight knowing that, beef and curry not only, no longer belong in the category “food not eaten together” but that they are a match made in curry heaven. Bangladesh (why didn’t I think of that). Beef curry, cow and curry, finally in the same sentence! Kosher beef mind, but you can’t have everything.

This is your basic vindaloo, Bangladesh stylee. I couldn’t resist the temptation of adding a tin of tomatoes though, but I think that tomato makes all the difference to any curry. This vindaloo gets your taste buds running riot, like that fig roll ad in reverse; as hot as you like and perfect extinguished with a beer so cold it hurts. Perfect for these hot summer nights.

Beef Vindaloo

The only problem with beef in a curry is how long it needs to be stewed before it becomes meltingly tender. I bought really cheap tough meat (nothing wrong with that) and it took three hours and plenty of patience to get it where I wanted it.  The smell that this vindaloo wafts, is a mouth-watering force to be reckoned with, so be prepared to suffer the wait. You know it’s worth it.

Feeling hot, hot, hot.

Serves 2 greedy people

400g beef, cubed

I small onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

oil, for frying

a knob of ginger, finely chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 ½ tsp coriander

1 tsp tumeric

a heaped tsp wholegrain mustard

2 tsp cayenne pepper, add less if you require less heat

½ tsp  black pepper

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp white vinegar

2 chili’s, cut in half lengthways, seeds in of course

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

½ tin of water

Fry the onion, garlic, ginger, and chili in a pan until the onions are soft. Line up your spices and start bunging them in. Let them fry for a couple of minutes and then add the beef, tomatoes and water. Cover and simmer until the meat is completely tender. Serve with the usual, rice, naan and garlicky yogurt and an ice cold beer.